Can opener



May 12, 1925. 1,537,608

' J. E. HOFFMAN CAN OPENER Filed Oct. 22, 1924 INVENTOR am fl m, 'fiz. 1:. 44%

ATTORNEY Patented May 12, 1925. I

UNITED STATES JOHN E. H OFFMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CAN OPENER.

Application filed October 22, 1924. Serial No. 745,128.-

To all whom it may concern:

- Be it known that I, JO N E. HOFFMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Can Opener, of which the following is a.

specification.

My invention relates to can openers, and the object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive and eflicient device of this character having facilities adapted for severing the head of the can.

A- further object of the invention is to provide the can opener with pivoted handle members, one of which is provided with a slidably mounted cross head having rotat-ably mounted clamping and cutting means, and to provide the other of the handle members with a cam adapted for operating the cross head when the handle is folded or opened.

I attain these objects and other advan-- tages by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which- Figure 1, is a top plan view of a can opener embodying my invention, and showing the same in operative position. Figure 2, is a side view of the invention, partly sectioned, and showing the means for clamping the can and severing its head and, Fig- I ure 3, is a top plan view of my invention, and

showing the cross head at the limit of its back stroke.

Similar numerals of reference refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views. a

Referring to the drawings the numeral 1, designates a handle member which is pivotally connected with a handle member 2, by a pivot 3, the member 2, having at its forward end a cam 4. oi the outer edge of the handle member 2, is a vertically extending flange 5, which is adapted for engaging the inner edge of the handle member 1, when the members are folded together.. In the forward end portion of the handle member 1, is an elongated slot-ted aperture 6. A plate 7, is slidably mounted on the upper side of the member 1, over the slotted aperture 6, and a plate 8, is slidably mounted on the lower side of said member, over the aperture 6. The plates 7 and 8, are connected together by a rivet 9', thereby forming a cross head 10, on the handle member 1. In the forward portion of the cross head is rotatably mounted a vertically extending duced circumferentially to form a shoulder 12, the reduced port-ion of the shaft being extended downward through the plates 7 and 8, through holes 13, which holes register with each other and provide journal bearings for the shaft. On the reduced portion of the shaft 11; closely adjacent the lower side of the plate 8, are screw threads adapted for receiving the internal screw threads of a wheel 14, which is screwed thereon, the periphery of the wheel is knurled or corrugated and, on the lower side of the wheel is formed a disk shaped cutter 15. On the lower end of the shaft 11, is screwed a nut 16, to hold the wheel 14 and cutter 15, in place. On the upper end of the shaft 11, is a handle 17, for conveniently turning the shaft. On the forwardend ortion of the handle member 1, is pivota y mounted a wheel 18, which wheel is located.a suitable distance apart from the wheel 14 and cutter of a can 20, may be received between them when the cross head is at the limit of its back stroke, as shown in Figure 3. The cam 4, on the member 2, is provided with a 'slotted aperture 21, describing curves having differentiating radii, in which cam slot the rivet 9, is positioned to, thereby, allow the cam to eflect the forward stroke of the cross head when the handle members are folded, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and to effect the back stroke of the cross head when the handle members are opened, as shown in Figure 3.

The can opener constructed in accordance with my invention operates as follows:

thereby the cam impels the cross head to move backward to the limit of its back stroke, the cross head carrying back with it the shaft 11, and the wheel 14, and cutter 15, thereon, thus s acing apart the wheels 14 and 18, suflicient ly to admit the entrance between them of the rim or bead 19, of the can 20. When the rim or head of the can is entered between the wheels 14 and 18, the cutting edge of the cutter 15, will be presented to the side wall of the can, just below the rim of the can and, thereupon, the handle members are folded, which "action operates the cam 4, in reverse direction to impel the cross head forward to the limit of its forward stroke or until the wheels 14 and 18 have been brought to clamp the rim of the can between them, the cutter 15,.having adiameter in excess of the wheel 14, the

cutting edge thereof is forced into the wall of the can a little in advance of the clamping of the rim of the can by'the wheels 14 and 18. Then the folded handle members are held by one hand and the shaft 11,'

turned by the other hand. When the shaft 11, is turned the knurled or corrugated periphery of the wheel 14, rotates the can on the wheel 18, toward the cutter 15, the cutter being rotated simultaneously with the wheel 14, the feeding of the can and severing of the tically extending shaft revolubly mounted on said cross head, a roller pivotally mounted on the end of the upper handle member, a wheel mounted on said shaft in opposite relation to said roller and having a corrugated periphery adapted for frictionally engaging the outer side of a can to rotate the same, a disk cutter mounted on said shaft in opposite relation to said roller and adapted for severing the head of the can when the can is rotated by said wheel, and a cam device arranged on the lower handle member and movably connected to said cross head and adapted for impelling the cross head forward when the handle members are folding and impelling the same backward when the handle members are opening.

Dated, Chicago, Illinois, October 17, 1924.

JOHN E. HOFFMAN. 

